“I didn’t realise how much of a help it would be,” Demetri Mitchell says of his fashion label.
The 27-year-old Exeter City winger has returned from a year on the sidelines after undergoing an operation following a knee ligament injury.
The former Manchester United and Hibernian forward had been in great form before getting hurt in Exeter’s Carabao Cup fourth round loss to Middlesbrough on 31 October 2023.
It led to almost a year out, and a lot of time away from the training ground.
“It actually made the time go quicker than expected, especially the first eight or nine months up until I started to kick a ball and stuff like that,” he tells BBC Radio Devon.
“Having something outside of football I think some people look at as a negative, I look at as something that’s keeping me doing something positive with my life.
“You hear a lot of players might be gambling or doing stuff that they shouldn’t be, but I just see it as a positive and something that’s preparing me for after football.”
Mitchell played once for Manchester United – in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on the final day of 2016-17 season most famously remembered for Jose Mourinho’s 20-second post-match press conference.
Since then he has spent time at Hibs and their Edinburgh rivals Hearts, as well as an 18-month spell at Blackpool.
But his love for fashion has followed him through much of his career as he has built up his brand Benir Clothing.
“It was me thinking it would be easy. Me thinking, ‘I play for Man United I can slap a logo on a t-shirt and sell loads of stuff,” he jokes.
“It’s definitely not the case, and year on year I’ve learnt more about myself and more about fashion and how to run a business and it’s been exciting.”
But now Mitchell is having to focus once again on the pitch rather than the catwalk.
He has been gradually building up his minutes with three substitute appearances in less than three weeks – he scored just a few minutes into his return in an EFL Trophy win at Bristol Rovers.
“It felt great to score, but I was also dying through tiredness with only 20-30 minutes played,” he says.
“The physios and staff have been really good with me – sometimes when you’re injured you can feel almost not part of club, whereas here the manager was always there for me when I needed to speak to him, the staff have been great.
“Sometimes you can feel like part of a side piece, but I still felt fully involved with the squad.
“There’s a lot of new players and I want to show them what I’m about and want to show to the fans they’ve missed over the last year and can’t wait to get into full swing.”
